The Future of Konohagakure
by Namikaze29
Summary: This is a story about 20 some years after the defeat of Akatsuki. Naruto is now coming up on 30 and is Rokudaime Hokage. This story is about the future of Konoha.
1. Konoha

Naruto sat at his desk filing through papers

Naruto sat at his desk filing through papers. He rested his head on his left hand and then flinched. He had placed his hand on his black eye. He groaned. If the Jounin and Anbu saw the Hokage with a black eye it would just be another sore.

"Damnit all Sasuke." Naruto muttered.

Rokudaime Hokage Uzumaki Naruto sparred with his best friend and ANBU Captain Uchiha Sasuke on a weekly basis. Of course the ANBU captain and the Hokage had to fight in the desert between Konohagakure and Sunagakure so that nothing got too severely destroyed. Hinata still wouldn't let Naruto forget how he nearly blew up the south eastern part of Konoha's wall. Naruto's second eldest son Jiraiya had laughed when Hinata blocked Naruto's tenketsu for that. Hiashi, Naruto's eldest son, was a lot nicer about it. He still laughed of course but just not as much as Jiraiya. Minato and Hashirama still listened to Naruto so they didn't laugh, they just sat there trying their pest to hold in their laughter.

On this particular day Sasuke had accidently slipped on oil on the way back from their battle and tripped Naruto, who ended up falling into a doorknob and thus ended up getting a black eye. If the ANBU heard about this the laughter would not stop. Of course everyone respected Naruto's power (especially after he and Sasuke demolished the Stone and Sound villages all by themselves), but he was still clumsy and he still made people laugh.

"That looks like it hurts daddy-o." came a voice to Naruto's left.

Naruto spun to face his son. Jiraiya sat in the window sill wearing his red jounin uniform with the tan jacket. He had a red long sleeved shirt but black pants. He sat there with the same tattoos Ero-Sennin had, but he wore his Konoha headband around his neck. Jiraiyas long blonde hair went well down past his shoulders.

He sat there chewing on an apple, he turned to look at his father and said, "Yo."

"Where is your brother, Jiraiya." Said Naruto looking at his second born. Jiraiya did look a little like Jiraiya. He was like a fusion of Naruto's father and his mentor. He was much cooler though, he had to admit.

"Dunno, probably doing something stupid I suppose." Jiraiya answered.

"I'm not you, Jiraiya." Said Hiashi appearing next to his unfazed brother.

"No you're not." Jiraiya agreed while nodding, "There's no way you could pull this off."

"Calm down you two." Naruto said stepping in between his two eldest children. Hiashi look at Naruto with a quizzical look.

"What happened to your eye dad?" he asked.

Naruto turned and started cursing at Sasuke while his two sons snickered in amusement.

"What you want loser?" came Sasuke's voice as a puff of smoke appeared in the Hokage office.

The ANBU captain stood in his slouched position. His black tunic was untidy and his blue sash hung loosely on his body. His katana was still in it's position but it hit the floor as Sasuke walked closer. His eyes were not in Sharingan but the scar just beneath his right eye still gave off the same creepy and yet cool aura.

"Aunt Sakura glad to see you then Uncle Sasuke?" snickered Jiraiya.

The next instant Sasuke had Jiraiya pinned to the floor with his right foot, still slouching. Jiraiya sat dazed, a lump beginning to grow on the top of his head.

"No. I was practicing with my boys. They are getting quite strong. They messed up my tunic." Sasuke said as he let Jiraiya up.

"Who beat who during the chunnin exams?" Jiraiya asked, "Oh yeah that's right…me. I kicked Itachi's stupid face into the ground!"

"Yes, but Tsunade did crush me in the chunnin exams." Hiashi said, "And has beaten you a few times as well."

"She cheats." Jiraiya added quickly.

Naruto cleared his throat and the three Jounin elites stood at attention before their Hokage. Naruto, though clumsy and stupid, was still the Hokage; the strongest ninja in the village, who everyone respected. Naruto looked at the three of them sternly.

"As you know, the new gennins have just graduated from the academy." Naruto said, "I have split them up into teams." Naruto placed three files in front of him.

"I have placed Neji in charge of one team, Lee in charge of another, but I do not know who to lead the third." Naruto said, "I believe one of you three should teach them."

"I nominate Uchiha Sasuke! He is the most suited for this position." Said Jiraiya loudly.

"I second the nomination." Hiashi added, "Only he is wise enough to teach these young ones."

Sasuke had a look of anger on his face as he stood at attention. Naruto nodded and waved his sons away. They turned and walked out of the office. Sasuke walked up and opened his mouth to protest but Naruto put up a hand to silence him.

"I agree with them, Sasuke." Naruto said. "I think you will be perfect for this last team; the only one actually able to teach them."

Sasuke fumed and turned to head toward the door. As he reached for the handle Naruto said, "You will be training Inuzuka Kira, Uchiha Gona, and Uchiha Ukite."

Sasuke stopped. He smiled and turned to his friend. Naruto had a look on his face that said "You're Welcome." Sasuke just turned and walked out the door.

"Loser." He said loud enough as he exited the Hokage office.

"Is it wise to let him teach them, Hokage-sama." Neji asked from outside Naruto's office.

"He is the only one that can train them." Naruto said.

"Tsunade and Itachi learned how to use their sharingan without him teaching them." Neji said.

"Yes, but Sasuke will have to look over the twins. We don't want to have another Madara on our hands." Naruto said grimly thinking back to that bloody battle.

Neji nodded in agreement. He could still remember how Naruto and Sasuke had looked after that battle. They were both drenched in blood. Naruto had taken every single blast to protect Sasuke. He had cuts and burns all over his body. Sasuke who was behind Naruto was covered in Naruto's blood. Naruto had put his body and life on the line for that battle. It had taken weeks for Naruto to heal, even with his healing powers. But then again it was his power now, not Kyuubi's.

"It'll work out. I just know it." Naruto said, snapping Neji out of his day dream.

"You really think so?" Neji asked.

Naruto looked up at his friend and smiled, "Yes it will, especially since I have you looking over my son. The other two will also be good under your care. They are going to be strong, I just know it."

Naruto leaned back in his chair and gazed at the pictures of the past Hokages, the old man Hokage, his father, and granny Tsunade. He smiled. He had made everyone of them proud, and he would pass the will of fire down to the next generation. Just as those before him had done.


	2. Meetings

Chapter 2: Meetings

Chapter 2: Meetings

Iruka walked down the hallway to see if the last three jounins had gone to get their groups. Every other gennin team was gone already, but Lord Hokage had wanted to look over the last three groups for a while longer.

_Lord Hokage_. Iruka smiled as he thought of Naruto. The little blonde loud boy who had used to get in trouble on an hourly basis was now the most respected ninja in the village. Naruto had done what he said he would. He had become Hokage.

Iruka snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a crash in the hallway. He quickly turned the corner and saw a few of the gennin fighting. Iruka sighed; _Why couldn't it be someone knew this time?,_ he thought.

The sight that awaited Iruka was two boys fighting in the hallway. One was a medium height twelve year old with black spiky hair. He wore a black t-shirt with a black vest that had an orange line on the zipper and on the sleeves. He wore baggie black pants that went down to the middle of his shins, which is where his ninja boots started. He was about to slug another boy who was a little taller than he was. This boy had longer spiky hair and he wore a blue t-shirt and white shorts. Next to him was a boy that looked exactly like him only his hair was shorter and he wore a blue shirt and blue short sleeved jacket with black shorts. The twins both had an Uchiha symbol on their clothes.

"Renji! Ukite! ENOUGH!" Iruka shouted and the boys turned to face him. "Gona! Why didn't you stop them?" Iruka asked.

The shorter haired twin said, "Because the whelp insulted the Uchiha clan."

"Did not you pompous jerk!" shouted the smallest boy.

"You said you could beat Ukite. Ukite is one of the last members of the Uchiha clan, and your better!" Gona said angrily, "You could never hope to beat him."

"Shut up or I'll kick your-" the boy started.

"Enough Renji." Iruka said, "Gona. Ukite. Go back into your room. I don't want to hear anymore squabbling. Renji go back to your team now!"

"I can't just let the Uchiha think they are the greatest in the world!" Renji screamed, "Someone's gotta put them in their place!"

"We know our place, runt." Gona laughed, "Perhaps it is you, that doesn't know yours."

Renji leaped at the loudmouth Uchiha but was pulled back by a silver haired youth with a blue mask covering the bottom part of his mouth. He wore a simple dark blue long sleeved shirt with gray battle armor on his shoulders and his chest and dark blue pants.

"Calm down, Renji." He said.

"Thank you, Sakumo." Iruka said.

Then a blonde haired boy stepped out of the classroom behind them. He had on a black jacket with yellow shoulder pads. The jacket was like a sort of monk style with buttons from the collar to the bottom. He also had on black pants. He had a striking resemblance to the Fourth Hokage.

"Take it easy Renji, we know you could beat both of them." Said the boy with a wide smile that looked all too familiar to Iruka.

"What was that demon brat?" said Gona stepping back into the hallway.

"Don't call him that Uchiha or I'll wipe the floor with ya!" said Renji.

"Well, he is the son of the host of the nine-tails isn't he?" laughed Gona.

"Quiet Gona.", said a low calm voice that belonged to none other than Uchiha Ukite.

Ukite had come out and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. Though he was the younger of the twins, he was still calmer and had the elder brother essence. He was the one who kept Gona in check.

"You mustn't talk about Lord Hokage that way." Ukite said calmly, "Father will be upset if he heard you say those things."

Gona thought about his father and shivered. He nodded to his wise younger brother and went back into the classroom. Ukite turned to the other three gennin, bowed, and then followed his brother into the classroom.

"They are so different it's creepy.", said Renji.

"Are you all right, Minato?" Sakumo asked.

The blonde haired boy smiled and nodded. "Yeah I'm fine. Gona's just a loud mouth."

The three boys laughed and then turned to see Iruka still standing in the hallway. Iruka looked the three and wondered how the three of them were in the same team. These were quite possibly the three most unremarkable shinobi he had ever seen. Even in their academy days they were brilliant. They would be an incredibly strong team.

"Iruka-sensei?", asked Minato giving Iruka a quizzical look.

"Hmm?" asked Iruka coming out of his thoughts, "Oh yes. I was just coming to tell you that your new sensei will be here shortly."

The three boys nodded and then bowed to their teacher. Iruka smiled and they then walked into their room and closed the door. Iruka just continued to smile and continued to walk down the halls.

The Uchiha twins sat down next to their teammate, who was calmly petting her dog. He was a husky with bright light blue eyes. He was lying down on his master's lap and looking at the two Uchiha.

"So how did it go?" asked the female gennin.

"It went great." Gona said sarcastically, "Thanks for helping Kari."

"It's all right, Miss Inuzuka." Ukite said, "We were fine."

Inuzuka Kari was the only daughter of Inuzuka Kiba the leader of the Inuzuka clan. She was his precious little princess, only she enjoyed fighting and playing with the dogs. She was as tomboy and as tuff as you could get. She had a red triangle tattoo under both her eyes just like Kiba did and she had her hair tied back in a pony tail. She wore a white jacket with a hood and regular ninja pants. She was probably the only female who would actually be able to deal with the Uchiha twins, which was probably why she was in their team.

The two Uchiha were the heartthrobs of the academy. All the girls were in love with them and always wanted to be around them. Gona thinking the Uchiha were the glory of Konohagakure loved the attention. Though Ukite would never admit it, he enjoyed the attention as well. The two brothers worked as a team, one wouldn't do anything without the other, minus going to the bathroom. They led in grades and in ability and they both had their Sharingan at two tomoe. Gona was a little more serious and dangerous and would take everything as a challenge to be the best. He always brought Ukite with him and never let anyone insult his little brother. Ukite followed his brother and though he was serious and timid he did enjoy relaxing most of the time. He always did his best to keep his elder twin under control, but sometimes it was just useless.

Sasuke appeared suddenly in the room; no mist, no puff of smoke, he was just there. The three gennin stood in awe at this. Sasuke smiled and sat in one of the chairs resting his chin on his hand.

"Well then, introduce yourselves.", he said.

"Inuzuka Kari, daughter of the head of the Inuzuka clan. Gennin." Said Kari.

"Uchiha Gona, son of the head of the Uchiha clan. Gennin." Said Gona.

"Uchiha Ukite, brother of Gona. Gennin." Said Ukite.

Sasuke laughed, "I meant to her guys. I know who you are." He said as he put his arms around his sons and ruffled their hair. Kari was a little scared of Sasuke but she was impressed with his aura and his abilities, even if she had only seen one.

"Well then, now that we know each other it's time for your assignment." Sasuke said. The three gennin stood at attention and listened intently.

"Meet me at the training grounds tomorrow at nine. Don't eat any breakfast, I'll know if you do, and trust me you don't want to know what will happen if you do." Sasuke said with a grin. The three gennin shivered but still stood at attention. "There I will explain the rest of your assignment. Dismissed."

The three gennin turned and left. Kari turned to look back at her new sensei only to see that he was already gone. She walked out the door not knowing what she would be doing the next day.

"Attention gennin.", said Neji in a commanding voice.

"Cousin Neji?" Minato asked. Neji gave him a look and then Minato said, "I-I mean Neji sensei?"

"That's right Minato; I am your new sensei. Hyuga Neji, co-leader of the Hyuga Council." Neji, said with pride.

When Naruto had become Hokage he changed some of the rules in the village in an attempt to help the village be more unified. For the Hyuga clan he got rid of the "Main" and "Branch" families and fused them together. He had Hinata set up a council that deals with the workings of the Hyuga clan. The council members elected the council leaders every few years. Since its creation Hinata has been the council leader, but she had Neji appointed as her second so that he could help her. This had made the two cousins very close. With the creation of the council Naruto was deemed acceptable to be married to Hinata in her father's eyes.

"Now, tell me your names, your dreams for the future, and your favorite jutsu." said Neji, "That way I can get to know you other a little better."

Renji raised his hand and Neji nodded. Renji smiled and sat down on the steps where the previous team 7 (Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke) had when they had met Kakashi.

"I'm Sarutobi Renji. My dad is Sarutobi Konohamaru. My great grandfather was the Third Hokage." Renji said with pride, "I wish to be a Hokage like my great grandfather."

Neji nodded. "And as for my favorite jutsu…I'd have to say it's my rock gauntlet technique."

Neji wondered what that was but decided he would see it later. He then looked at the child that looked exactly like Kakashi. The child glanced up and started to talk.

"My name is Hatake Sakumo. I am the son of Hatake Kakashi and Anko. My dream is to be known through out all the countries that my father "Copy Ninja Kakashi" and my grand father "The White Fang" are known in. Only I want to be stronger than both of them, and I want to make them proud." Sakumo said. "My favorite technique is my water spear jutsu."

Neji wondered what these techniques were but he couldn't think about them because Minato was smiling from ear to ear. It was his turn and apparently he was excited. Neji nodded at his second cousin who just smiled in reply.

"My name is Uzumaki Minato. I am the son of Rokudaime Hokage and Leader of the Council of Hyuga. My dream is to one day be Hokage like my father and grandfather." Minato said with the same determination that his father had.

_That determination must be hereditary._ Neji thought. The look on Minato's face was the same look Naruto gave Neji during the Chunnin exams all those years ago.

"And my favorite jutsu would have to be my raiton gun, even though it's not fully developed yet." Minato said smiling.

Neji looked at the three children. Each one of them had ancestors who had made the village what it was today. These three children were a legacy. It was going to be interesting training them.

"Meet me tomorrow at the pond just outside the academy. We're going to have a little training exercise." Neji said. "Be there at nine and don't be late."

Minato raised his hand. Neji smiled, it was just as Naruto had said.

"Yes, Minato you can eat breakfast." Neji said and Minato dropped his hand smiling.

"Dismissed." Neji said.

The three gennin bowed and turned to go home. The three of them dashed off laughing and doing flips in the air._ It's going to be interesting training them._ Neji thought. _Very interesting._


	3. Early Morning

**The beginning is from another fanfic I wrote but there is more added to this one. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

The sun rose over the battlefield. The smoke rose into the sky as the horde of Sound and Stone ninjas made their way across the field. The leader of the Sound smiled as he passed the hundreds of charred bodies that lay before him. He scooped up one of the headbands and laughed outloud.

"Now who has won Konoha!?" The leader screamed.

"Shut up. You're annoying." Said a voice to the leader's right.

The Sound's leader turned and saw a man sitting idly on a boulder. He wore a blue tunic with a black sash that went from his right shoulder to his left hip. On the sash was a Konohagakure headband and a stitched Uchiha symbol. The man had long black hair. The man held a long black katana. He turned his head upwards and stared at the Sound's leader. He had a long scar that went from just beneath his right eye and went down to only disappear into his tunic. His eyes looked bored as he yawned.

"Who are you?" said the Sound leader.

"I'm the man who just killed your entire first wave. Uchiha, Sasuke. Leader of the Uchiha clan." said the man. As he spoke his Sharingan activated.

"W-what? That's impossible." The sound ninja declared, "You couldn't have killed them all yourself…that's impossible!"

"Not impossible…but still not true" Said a voice and then a man appeared behind the Uchiha, "I helped some too."

This man had a much happier face. He had blonde hair that went spiked at the top but flowed out like a sunflower. He had a big smile on his face which stretched the whisker like marks on his face. His deep blue eyes were light. He wore an orange tunic like jacket that had the kanji for toad on its left chest pocket. The Konohagakure headband was wrapped around his neck. He put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and smiled.

"U…Uzumaki…Naruto…" said the Sound leader in fear.

"Geez, way to ruin my fun. Loser." Sasuke grunted at Naruto.

Naruto just laughed. "It's not so bad serving under me is it Sasuke?"

"Not really. Besides, I get to pummel you into the ground every now and then when we spar." Sasuke said rising and unsheathing his katana. The leader of the Sound took a step back.

"You? Pummel me? I'm pretty sure it's the other way around isn't it?" Naruto asked jokingly as he pointed at Sasuke's scar.

"Whatever. Let's just finish this up." Sasuke said. Then he added, "Hokage-sama."

"Yes, let's. Then we can get some ramen." Naruto said laughing once more.

Then Naruto turned towards the horde of ninja. His brilliant blue eyes somehow became darker. His pupils became slits, but his eyes were still their brilliant blue. Sasuke's sharingan glared at the horde. Suddenly Sasuke's chakra increased sending a chill through the horde of ninja. Then Naruto took a step forward while unleashing his chakra. The crowd stepped back and a few fell to the ground from the pressure of Naruto's chakra. Sasuke had only felt this chakra once before.

Long ago. When he and Naruto had fought after they had defeated of Akatsuki and after the death of Uchiha Madara. Naruto had gained control over his massive chakra and had overwhelmed Sasuke. The scar on Sasuke's scar throbbed in pain as he thought back to that battle. Naruto had clawed him with his Kyuubi like hand in an attempt to claw out his Sharingan. In the end Naruto had won and he had spared his life. He still remembered Naruto's words: "Now that I've beaten you to a pulp. I'm dragging you back to the village!" Sasuke smiled at the fond memory then turned to look at his friend.

Naruto's chakra pulsed and pulsed. Then it stopped. Naruto glanced upwards. Then there was just quiet. Like the calm before a storm. Then Naruto said, "Let's do this Sasuke."

The sound leader staired and saw the image of a fox behind Naruto. He could only gasped and softly whisper the word "demon" as he was thrown into the air. As he fell he saw the blur that was Uchiha Sasuke. The leader Uchiha was twirling with his katana out, currents of electricity rippling through the horde of Sound and Stone ninja. Uchiha's movements were so delicate and graceful. It was like a dance; a dance of death. So many ninja tried to strike at him but he moved as if he could see ten moves ahead. This was the power of Uchiha Sasuke.

As the Sound leader continued to fall he saw flashes of yellow from all around. He noticed that it was not a teleportation jutsu or a speed jutsu. It was shadow clones. Each clone was punching and beating down ninjas. Then he saw him. He saw the real Uzumaki Naruto, standing alone right in the middle of the horde. The men around him stood cautiously not wanting to provoke him. His eyes were closed as he lifted his hands into a simple seal and then he raised his hands into the air his palms facing the sky. His chakra surrounded him and suddenly the sky itself became a swirl of dark clouds. The wind whipped down towards the hokage and as it swirled about him many of the ninja closest to Naruto were cut by the ferocity of the wind. Then Naruto placed his palms together and the wind and the chakra disappeared. He turned away from Sasuke and in his hands was a swirling ball of chakra and air. It was swirling in so many directions it looked like a star, a spiral, and also a bright rainbow of scribbles. It was condensed yet looked as though it would burst.

"This is the full potential of my created jutsu. Fuuton Rasenshuriken!" as Naruto spoke the wind shurikan surrounded his ball of chakra and he thrusted the ball towards the crowd opposite of Sasuke. It erupted with a loud explosion. There was a large wave of chakra that pushed past all the ninja and the wind tore up the ground and surrounding ninja. Then there was a bright light that blinded everyone. When the light faded, Naruto stood with his palms still facing the horde…only there were only lifeless bodies on the ground before him.

The leader of the sound ninja lay on the ground the winde had been knocked from him and he could only feel despair. Uchiha Sasuke had a grin on his face as he sliced through the ninja horde to reach his friend. He jumped into the air and landed gently next to his friend.

"Shall we?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto turned his chakra rising, "Yes."

Naruto held out his right hand and automatically a perfect sphere of chakra appeared. Swirling the chakra around perfectly, then the added layer of chakra which gave it its star like appearance and then came the rainbow colors. Sasuke held out his left hand and Naruto placed the Perfected Rasengan inches above Sasuke's palm. Sasuke concentrated and sent electricity into the Rasengan. Suddenly the familiar chirping sound of his Chidori was heard. The tiny ball was nothing more than a ball of light now. The ninja horde charged at the two leaf ninja. Sasuke and Naruto turned towards them, maintaining their ultimate jutus. They leaped forward screaming together "Chidori-Rasengan!" Their most powerful attacks mixed together to create the "1,000 spiraling birds" jutsu.

The sound ninja leader watched as the rest of his men fell to the ground lifeless. He looked up and saw the two ninja walking toward him. Uchiha had sheathed his katana and Uzumaki once again had a smile on his face. They walked up to the sad leader. Naruto bent down and said to him, "Now, who has won?" and those were the last words the Sound leader heard as his eyes closed.

Kosaku woke up with a start, completely covered in sweat. He put his hand up to his bandaged face. The sweat went through both the bandages covering his head and the ones on his hand. He had the dream of the attack again. The Sound and the Stone had joined forces to crush the Leaf village. They had hundreds of ninja, strong ninja, it was supposed to be an easy victory. They were not supposed to lose; especially not to two ninja. The Rokudaime and his head body guard of the Uchiha had obliterated them all. Kosaku had watched his leader thrown nearly fifty feet in the air by a simple hand gesture. He had watched hundreds of his friends and allies destroyed by a single attack. Kosaku had been one of the five survivors. He was badly wounded. He had burns all over his left arm and cuts on his shoulders down to his hips and a deep gash in between his eyes and the top of his head had been sliced. Kotaku thought back to that fateful day. He closed his fist in anger thinking of the blonde headed Hokage until blood began to seep through the bandages. Kotaku wanted revenge. He and the four survivors would become the new Sound Five and would lead an army against Konohagakure. No, that wouldn't work. The last army that marched in had been slaughtered. Kotaku would have to come up with a plan, one that would destroy Konoha from the inside. Kotaku than began to laugh a sickly laugh as he imagined his hands crushing the head of the blonde ninja he detested so much.

Naruto awoke at five in the morning to head down to his office. He climbed slowly out of bed so as not to stir Hinata. He looked at her and smiled as he thought of how beautiful she was. Naruto crept down stairs to get some breakfast before getting ready when he saw Minato sitting at the table eating some cereal. Minato looked up as his father came into the room and gave him a simple nod and continued to push his cereal around in the bowl. Naruto grabbed a cup of milk and some bread and sat next to his son. Minato looked worried possibly nervous. Naruto looked at Minato until the young boy's head came up.

"What?" Minato asked.

"What's wrong Minato?" Naruto asked, "Girl trouble?"

Minato gave a small laugh and shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He said.

"Well good," Naruto laughed, "Cuz I wouldn't have been able to help you."

The two blonde ninjas laughed. Naruto put his hand on his son's shoulder. He looked at the son who looked so much like the Hokage he was named after. Minato smiled but underneath his smile his grey eyes still had a worried look in them.

"What's wrong Minato?" Naruto asked again.

"It's just that…"Minato started off. Naruto nodded and he continued, "I'm worried about cousin Neji's exorcise. What if we don't pass?" Minato asked with a truly sad look on his young face.

Naruto looked at his young innocent son. He was so proud of him. At this age he was still worried about the future, he knew that Minato's gears were constantly moving thinking ten steps ahead and always questioning everything. It was one of his greatest strengths, but was also a double edged sword; it seemed to always cause him to worry.

"You need to relax Minato." Naruto began, "You need to remember it's not only yourself out there that is on the line. It's your teammates as well. And also you and your squad carry the pride of Konoha with you. What is it that I have always told you?" Naruto asked.

"There is no one man show stopper. The point of a team is to work as a single powerful unit." Minato answered automatically.

"And?" Naruto asked.

Minato smiled the same foxy grin his father wore as he answered, "Never give up, never go back on your word, and never give anything but your best. Believe it."

Naruto ruffled his son's hair. Minato laughed as he hugged his father. Sure he was once the knuckle head of the village and was still the most revered ninja in the country but he always had time to help out his son.

"Thanks dad." Minato said.

"Not a problem." Naruto said while checking the clock, "Say shouldn't you be heading off?"

Minato looked at the clock his eyes growing bigger as he realized the time. He, Renji, and Sakumo were going to have a quick spar before meeting Neji-sensei. Minato quickly downed his cereal and his orange juice. Tied his headband around his neck gave Naruto one last hug and ran out the door. Naruto laughed as he watched his son spring off into the distance.

**Author's Note: Hey sorry, I have exams this week so I don't know when I will be able to put up the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this one. Late. **


	4. The Test

Ok just to fix a few of my errors in the past chapters

**Ok just to fix a few of my errors in the past chapters. It is Kari not Kira. And It's Kotaku not Kosaku. I am sorry for the confusion. Hope you enjoy today's chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

Chapter 4: The Test!

**Team 7**

The new training ground was inside a huge fenced area. It had three ponds and many trees it also had a small dirt pit and also had a huge field area. It was more than 300 yards around; plenty big for a test with three gennin. Neji stood against a stump awaiting the arrival of his team. The three gennin walked in together and stood at attention a few feet away from their sensei.

Neji stood in front of his gennin team expecting groggy faces. He expected them to have just rolled out of bed, eaten quickly, and come here for training. He did not expect them to be fully awake and be dirty already. He could tell that they had sparred. The three gennin looked at him with eyes full of excitement. They were not out of breath nor did they seem to be nervous. They were…should he dare think anxious? Neji looked the mini clock he had brought with him. It was five minutes to nine-o-clock. Neji straightened himself and spoke to his team.

"Today's exorcise is simple." Neji began, "You must try and defeat me using every single maneuver you know." The three gennin raised their eyebrows.

"What's the catch?" Renji asked.

"No, catch. You have to do your best to beat me." Neji said, "And after the fight I will determine whether or not you are worthy to wear those symbols on your headbands." as he said this, Neji pointed at his own headband.

The three gennin looked at their headbands and then looked back at their sensei with grim determination written on their faces. Neji looked his clock and simply stated, "You have until twelve to try and defeat me." Neji said starting the timer, "Think three hours is enough?" he turned and saw his team was already positioned to attack.

Neji smiled and simply said, "All right…GO!"

The three young students disappeared into the woods. Neji activated his byakugan and was able to see each one of them. Minato was crouched in the bushes about fifty yards to Neji's left. Renji was in a tree about thirty yards directly in front of Neji. While Sakumo was sitting in a cave only 20 yards to Neji's right. Neji found this rather odd but figured the gennin didn't know what they were doing. Then he saw something strange. Each boy was tapping the ground. They were tapping in triplets. Their eyes seemed to be thinking and their mouths muttering while they crouched into positions. Neji took a step forward pondering what this was. _Had they come up with a plan to beat him? Had they already made formations? _

Before Neji could think more about it the three moved simultaneously. Minato threw gas bombs around Neji while Sakumo and Renji dove at their sensei. Of course smoke bombs didn't work on Neji's Byakugan and he grabbed Renji's right foot with his left arm and Sakumo's left arm with his right arm. He lifted Sakumo and threw him into the airborne Renji. The two went flying but they flipped simultaneously and landed. As soon as their feet hit the ground they were charging back at Neji. Neji took a new approach; he spun around Sakumo and grabbed Renji by his collar. He threw the young gennin into the air and ten kicked Sakumo in the back sending him into the lake. At this point he saw Minato darting at his exposed back. A simple three-sixty spin allowed him to knock away his cousins arm. Only instead of following the momentum Neji had thrown him in; Minato planted his foot and spun his left arm in a low upper cut. Neji blocked the simple punch but Minato used it as a step to go up into the air and swing his right leg down to Neji's shoulder. Neji blocked only to find this another distraction. Minato threw his right arm at Neji's face. Minato was once again on the ground spinning around Neji. Neji blocked every attack. Minato was everywhere, he was nothing like his father in taijutsu style but then Minato struck out of nowhere catching Neji by surprise. The infamous Uzumaki left hook. Neji laughed and knocked it aside. But as he did he noticed something strange about his student's chakra system. He had chakra stored in his hand. Was he going to use a jutsu now? As his fist passed Neji, Minato extended his index and middle finger and then bent them toward his sensei. To Neji's surprise chakra shot out of Minato's fingers aimed at Neji's side. Neji spun to his right avoiding the unusual attack. He grabbed Minato's arm and threw him aside.

_What was that?_ Neji thought. _It's almost a fusion of gentle fist and ferocious fist. Did he develop that on his own from watching his parents?_ Minato looked up at Neji and then he disappeared. Neji searched for him within his byakugan before he heard a voice from the water.

"Hey, Neji Sensei!" said Sakumo's voice.

Neji turned to see Sakumo covered in water his hands working fast on hand signs finally ending in the bird sign. Sakumo's eyes were lit with excitement.

"Suiton: Water Spear Jutsu!" Sakumo cried and water from the lake sprung around him and shot out at Neji like a spear.

Neji saw the amount of chakra in the attack. He laughed and simply struck the water spear aside with his chakra engulfed hand.

"You won't be able to defeat me with that level of attack." Neji said.

"Wasn't trying to." Sakumo said.

Neji saw Renji enter his barrier and turned to see the young gennin above him.

"Yo sensei!" He shouted.

"You never learn." Neji said.

"Actually we do!" Minato said as he lunged at Neji. Neji side stepped and threw Minato aside and turned his attention back to the descending Renji; who appeared to have something in his mouth.

"Doton: Mud Bath Justu!" Renji said as he spewed out mud from his mouth.

Neji spun chakra pouring out of him. His rotation got rid of the mud in a seconed sending it everywhere. As he finished spinning the three gennin lunged at him. Neji hit Sakumo with his left foot, Minato with his left arm, and Renji with a right armed jab. As Renji was sent back he threw a piece of mud in Neji's face. Neji wiped the mud off his face but noticed some had gotten into this eye socket. His Byakugan could see through but the mud was seeping into nerves and became irritating. Neji rubbed his eye to get it out and heard the gennin jump at him. Neji smiled at the simple trick. It was rather sad that they thought it would work. Neji simply let his hands slip out and hit each of the gennin. The three slid back and grouped together in a huddle. Neji looked at his clock, only fifteen minutes were left.

"What are we gonna do?" Renji asked.

"He's insane." Sakumo said breathing heavily, "It's like he knows all our moves."

"It's probably because every new gennin has tried the same moves." Minato said. "Wait! That's it!"

Minato's teammates looked at him oddly. Minato just smiled and began to tell him his plan. The other two smiled nodded and then they all turned to Neji. They all did a simple seal and shout together "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Suddenly there were dozens of the three children. Neji saw each and every one of them. All the chakra was distributed equally. _Smart children_, He thought _but you'll need to do a little better than that if you want to beat me._

The clones then moved around Neji. The Renji clones threw kunai and then jumped in the air spraying mud everywhere. The Sakumo clones shot water spears at Neji while the Minato clones slid in around him. Neji used his rotation and knocked all the obstacle aside. He shook his head and deactivated his Byakugan. The alarm was about to go off and he figured they were done. Then the ground below him cracked. He looked down and simply thought _No way. That is not happening again!_

Neji leaped back out of the way as Minato burst through the ground. Neji kicked Minato in the stomach sending him flying across the field. Then he heard rushing water and he turned to see a swirling water vortex headed his way. Then he turned only to see a huge mud wall at his back. Neji activated his Byakugan and saw the three gennin smiling.

The three gennin smiled as they saw the vortex smash into the mud wall and crumble into pieces. They did an all around fist pound as the timer went off.

"What are you three smiling about?" said a voice behind them.

They stood shocked and turned around slowly to see Neji perfectly unharmed behind them. They stood with their mouths hanging open.

"You lose." Neji said.

The three gennin nodded and stood at attention, their heads hung low. They had failed, and in doing so had not been able to pass the test.

"But," Neji said and the three of them snapped their heads up at attention. "You did work as a team, and you played to each other's strengths. You formulated plans and formations. Your moves were good and your teamwork was good. It could be better but we'll fix that." Neji said with a smile.

The three gennin listened intently clinging to every word he said. Neji smiled and said, "Congratulations, you pass."

The three ninjas jumped around giving each other high fives and punching the air in victory. Then they all collapsed on the ground laughing and smiling. Neji simply smiled at his team. Training these three was going to be very interesting.

**Team 9**

The three gennin of team nine assembled at the training grounds at the required time only to see their sensei grilling fish by the lake. None of them had eaten breakfast as requested and the smell of the fish filled their nostrils and made their stomachs groan. All three had pigged out at the Pork Barbecue restaurant the night before but that did little for them now. Sasuke pulled the fish off the fire and let the aroma into the air. He smiled as he saw the look on Ukite's face. Grilled fish was his favorite. Gona hit his little brother and forced him to stop drooling. Sasuke wolfed down the fish and licked his lips. He drank some of his sake and stood up. The three gennin looked at him with exhausted faces. They wanted food. They weren't tired, but they were so hungry.

"All right team nine, here's the deal." Sasuke said pulling out a clock and two bento boxes. He set them down and then pulled out two bells. "You have until noon to get one of these bells. If you can't do that, then you go without lunch." The three gennin looked at their sensei and groaned at the thought of missing another meal. Sasuke then had a very serious look in his eyes, "Come at me with the intent to kill. If you don't, you will never get a bell." The three gennin gave him a nod and got in their stances. Sasuke set the time on the clock and set the clock and the bento boxes on the stumps behind him. He then walked forward while attaching the bells to his waist.

"Go!" he yelled.

Kari and her dog vanished into the woods. Ukite and Gona stood their ground. They faced their father with determination written all over their faces.

"Here it is pops." Gona said.

"It is time" Ukite said.

"Are you ready?" they said together.

They slid into a crouching stance facing each other ant locked their hands muttering words and forming seals using each other's hands. _Now that is a new weird twin thing_ Kari thought as she watched from the bushes. Sasuke stood still his arms crossed as he watched his sons do this odd move. They split apart and began to move in a dance. Their Sharingans activated and their movements seeming more mystified. Kari suddenly was lost in the movement of their dance. She suddenly was growing sleepy and somewhat mesmerized by the Uchiha twins. Then Sasuke's laugher cut through the morning mist and Kari snapped back to reality. The Uchiha twins stopped their dance and looked at their father. His Sharingan was activated and he was smiling.

"Your dance can't fool my eyes boys." Sasuke said. "Ninja skill number one: Genjutsu. A ninja must be able to see meaning hidden within the meaning."

_Genjutsu._ Kari thought. That's what they were doing. The dance was to throw off the enemy and catch them in a trap of the mind. The twins did not look defeated. Instead they smile as though they were expecting this to happen. They got into their interlocking stances again and suddenly moved around in a faster paced dance. Suddenly fire began to spark around their limbs they spun around their father until suddenly they shot fire at him while shouting the name of the attack.

"Fuuton: Duel Dragon Dance!" they yelled.

Sasuke disappeared in a flash and the two brothers hit each other with their own attacks. They patted out the flames on themselves and looked around.

"Ninja skill number two: Ninjutsu. A ninja must know his own strength" Sasuke said as he pulled out a bingo book and started flipping through it looking at all the criminals he had taken care of.

Kari couldn't take it anymore. She and her dog jumped out of their hiding place and joined the two flaming idiots. She landed between them and they turned to look at her.

"What are you doing, Inuzuka?" Gona asked.

"Saving your butts." Kari answered, "We'll take the left, you two take the right. Yuri, let's go!"

Kari and her dog, Yuri, ran off. Ukite and Gona sprinted to Sasuke's right both working seals as they went. Yuri and Kari began to spin and they launched towards Sasuke. Ukite shot out a fireball as Gona threw shuriken and multiplied them using the shadow shuriken jutsu. The shuriken went through the fireball and whipped at Sasuke who easily sidestepped them. Kari and Yuri spun from the left and clawed out at Sasuke. Sasuke continued reading his left hand holding the bingo book and his right hand on his katana blocking Kari's kunai. Kari pushed against the katana with all her might but it didn't move an inch. She jumped back then lunged at Sasuke swinging. He blocked all her punches then caught her fist in his palm.

"Ninja skill number three: Taijutsu. A ninja must be able to use his body as a weapon as well." Sasuke said.

Ukite and Gona jumped in to help their teammate. They all did an elaborate mesh of taijutsu. Yuri would jump in trying to nip at Sasuke's heels but whatever they did just never seemed to connect. Sasuke danced around them avoiding all of their blows. Suddenly all three of the gennin were hit in the feet and they fell flat on their faces.

"Had enough?" Sasuke asked.

The three gennin and the ninja dog grunted and attacked once more. By the time two hours went by all three gennin had nearly grabbed a bell. They had only a few minutes left and none had gotten a bell. Their teamwork was excellent but Sasuke was just too good. They all were breathing heavy from exhaustion and their stomachs were growling loudly. Suddenly Ukite spoke up.

"I know how we can get the bells." He said, "But it's tricky. One of us has to be a decoy."

The other two nodded and Ukite let them in on the plan. Sasuke looked up as he saw the huddle. Then the gennin split apart and charged him. Ukite and Gona threw kunai and shuriken at Sasuke who easily avoided them while Yuri and Kari used a sonic howl to try and confuse Sasuke. Suddenly Ukite and Gona lunged at Sasuke, he hit both of them in the stomach and sent them flying. Suddenly there was a voice behind Sasuke shouting at him.

"Hey Jerk!" said the stupid voice of Naruto.

"Shut up loser!" Sasuke screamed turning towards Naruto, "I'm in the middle of…"

Sasuke cut himself off and then reached for the bells on his hip only see they were gone. He turned and saw Gona and Kari holding the bells smiling. The fake Ukite vanished and the fake Naruto turned into Ukite who was also smiling.

"A ninja must see the hidden meaning within the meaning, right sensei?" Gona laughed.

Ukite stood tied to the poll while Kari ate. Gona refused to eat without his brother and sat on the ground his stomach growling. Sasuke explained the point of the exorcise which was teamwork. After saying they had done well he cut Ukite loose and gave him his own bento box. The twins began to wolf down their lunch as Sasuke gave them the same speech he received from Kakashi all those years ago.

"Those that don't follow the rules are trash," Sasuke said "But those that abandon their comrades are even lower than that!"

Sasuke watched his words sink into his team. The powerful words that Kakashi had said to him, Naruto, and Sakura still were just as powerful now as they were back then.

"You, pass team nine." Sasuke said with a smile.

The three gennin smiled and laid back on the grass. Yuri ran around licking their boxes clean and then rolled around on the grass as the three gennin laughed.

"You are done for today. Meet me in front of the Academy tomorrow at ten for your first mission. Dismissed!" Sasuke said and then he vanished.

The members of team nine slowly got up and got their stuff together before walking back home; talking and laughing with one another.


	5. Prodigy Children

Hey sorry for the late update guys

**Hey sorry for the late update guys. I had orientation at work and just loads of other things to deal with. So I'll try to make this chapter a little more interesting and possibly longer than the others. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter 5: Prodigy Children **

A few months passed after the seven rookie teams passed their tests to become Gennin. It had been years since more than four teams had passed from the academy and become Gennin. The seven teams all had legendary Jounin leading them.

There was Team one which was lead by Omaku Hiro, the third choice for Hokage after Naruto and Sasuke. Team two was lead by Minamoto Takuya the leader of the ANBU group "Shadow." Team three was lead by Rock Lee, Konoha's noble blue beast. Team five was lead by Kuramu Troa, a lieutenant in the medical corps of Konoha and en ex-member of the ANBU. Team seven was lead by Hyuga Neji, the Co-leader of the Hyuga Council. Team eight was lead by Aburame Shino, the poison specialist and a key member of the Konoha Medical Corps. Team nine was lead by Uchiha Sasuke, Leader of the ANBU Honor Guard; the personal guard of the Hokage.

Each team was basically bound for greatness. After two months each team had requested harder missions. The problem with this was that Naruto now saw how important the D Rank missions were. So every now and then he would throw each team a bone. Except for team seven. Team seven had been the only team stuck on D Rank missions. The reason being the three members were too out of control. They needed to be less…aggressive. Minato and Renji came in daily to demand harder missions. Sakumo just stood by Neji while his other two teammates demanded to stop being treated like children. Naruto stuck with what he thought was best; he gave them all D Rank missions. Then one day Neji came to him asking for a harder Ranked mission.

"Now you, Neji?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head and yawned in his Hokage chair.

Neji stood at attention his silvery orbs looking straight at Naruto. He nodded and said, "They are ready, Hokage-sama."

Naruto looked up at Neji and saw the serious look he had on. Naruto ran his hand through his hair and then looked back to Neji. "You think so?" he asked.

"Yes, Naruto I am certain they are ready. They have control of their techniques and their teamwork is outstanding." Neji said proudly, "They are ready for harder missions."

Naruto looked Neji right in the eyes, "Are you positive?"

"One hundred percent." Neji said without hesitation.

Naruto sighed, "Alright fine. You win, here's your mission." Naruto said as he handed Neji a folder. Neji opened it and looked it over.

"C Rank. Guard duty?" Neji asked.

"It's for a trade transaction. You'll be going to the land of Ice." Naruto said looking through his papers once again.

"You mean the land of snow." Neji said.

"It's the Land of Spring now; the Land of Snow does not exist anymore. You will be going south to the Land of Ice." Naruto said.

Neji looked through the folder as Naruto continued to explain, "When I became Hokage I decided to open Konoha's trade a little more. We are now trading with the land of Ice." Naruto explained, "This is our first major shipment of medical supplies and weaponry. It must get to the land of Ice safely." Naruto said seriously.

Neji nodded as he closed the file. He bowed to Naruto and said, "Thank you lord Hokage. We will see you once we have completed our mission."

"Good." Said Naruto, "Dismissed." And Neji vanished in a wisp of smoke.

Naruto looked out his window and sighed. _Be careful Minato…_ he thought.

"YES!! Finally we're on a harder mission!" Minato said as he ran ahead of his team and jumped around doing flips and small air punches.

Renji laughed and nodded. He too was excited about their latest mission. Team seven was on their way to the port that would take them to the Land of Ice. The shipment from Konoha was already at the port waiting for them. Neji smiled as he saw his three students run around. Sakumo who was usually very quiet was also excited about the new mission. It only took a few minutes to get to the port. Team seven hopped on the boat with the cargo and waited anxiously for their arrival in the Land of Ice.

They arrived in the Land of Ice in two weeks. Renji and Minato were glad to finally arrive at their destination. All of team seven wore big tan jackets that covered their necks and went down to their mid shins. Sakumo wore a gray under shirt that was meant to sustain heat and keep him warm. Renji just wore a long sleeved black shirt under his normal clothes and wore long pants to keep his legs warm. Minato wore a long sleeved shirt under his clothes to keep warm while Neji just wore his long winter coat. The team surrounded the cargo as they marched off the boat.

The Land of Ice was like tundra. There was snow as far as the eye could see. There were mountains close by but not near the path they were headed for; so there was no worry for an avalanche.

"How far is the village we have to go to Neji-sensei?" Renji asked.

"Not far, about half a day away. We should get there early tomorrow. We'll have to camp tonight along the path because it becomes far too cold to travel out here." Neji said.

The three students nodded. None of them wanted to freeze to death out here. Neji looked the four large cargo sleds over. Each was about ten feet long by eight feet wide and each sled was being pulled by five sled dogs. Neji circled them about three times then turned to his squad.

"We'll do the cross formation. I'll be front. Renji takes the left, Sakumo cover right, and Minato will bring up the rear." Neji said. His students just nodded. "Minato make sure to keep up with us."

"Yes sensei." Minato said nodding.

The team went into formation and Neji took off sprinting, the first sled chasing after him. The caravan made it about twenty minutes with no interruptions and Neji decided to give the sled dogs some rest after sprinting so much. After about five minutes of resting the dogs somehow became irritated. They whined and jumped around, a few began to bark at the mountain paths above them. They had rested in a small woodsy area just right of a mountain path that was about twenty yards away and about ten feet above the ground. To the right of the caravan were more woods. The restlessness of the dogs began to worry Neji. He activated his Byakugan and searched for intruders. He saw eight ninja concealed in the trees and five concealed in snow. There were also three on the mountain path. One on the mountain path was doing seals then we popped his head up and fired a fire ball towards the caravan.

"Get down!" Neji yelled as he jumped towards the fireball.

Chakra seeped into Neji's hands and he shot out a protective barrier in front of him. The fireball crashed into the wall of chakra and fell apart. The ninja who had cast the fireball jutsu glared at Neji.

The snow shinobi had blonde spikey hair that stood straight up and turned red at its tips. He wore a white jumpsuit with a blue tear drop on his left shoulder. He lifted his left arm and shouted, "Attack!"

Suddenly the concealed ninjas jumped out of the trees and out of the snow. Four of the ninjas from the snow landed on top of one of the cargo sleds. Out of nowhere Sakumo appeared in the middle of them. He hooked his arms over two of the ninjas necks, he forced their heads together then flipped over them kicking one of the other ninja in the face then he landed and threw a kunai into the chest of the remaining ninja. All four turned into ice then shattered.

"Ice clones." Sakumo said.

"Very good little one." Said a voice behind Sakumo.

Sakumo turned and saw a ninja barely taller than himself who wore a white jumpsuit with a blue and purple yin yang symbol on his right shoulder. He wore white gloves with the same symbol and had a hood pulled up over his head and wore black goggles to hide his eyes. The goggles were the only visible thing of his face for he wore a mask to cover his mouth and nose from the cold. He walked toward Sakumo while chuckling.

"You defeated my ice clones. Not an easy feat." The Ice ninja laughed, "You seem very talented. But you are no match for me."

The Ice ninja began to do hand signs and snow gathered around him. He laughed and then stretched his arms toward Sakumo his fingers extended.

"Snow drill jutsu!" the Ice ninja cried.

The snow became a spear like swirl and shot toward Sakumo. Sakumo jumped into the air his hands moving quickly into the correct seals for his jutsu. He pulled down the mask covering his mouth and fire shot out.

"Kouton: Dragon flame jutsu!" Sakumo said as his flame engulfed the snow spear.

The wind was picking up and it had started to storm. The wind took out Sakumo's flame very quickly and the flame was not strong enough to withstand the cold. Sakumo landed on the cargo sled glaring at the Ice ninja. He stood there clapping then he was gone. Sakumo didn't even have time to be surprised as he felt a boot hit him in the back and he was knocked down onto the cargo hold. He spun away and glanced up seeing the Ice ninja bring his boot down. Sakumo jumped away his arms and legs peddling trying to distance himself from the assault and trying to get up. Sakumo slipped and fell back. The Ice ninja jumped into the air and came down with what appeared to be a hammer made of ice.

"Ice Hammer Jutsu!" the Ice ninja cried.

Sakumo jumped back and threw a bottle of oil into the air and threw a kunai at the Ice ninja. The kunai went past the Ice ninja's head. The Ice ninja chuckled, "Ha missed me by a mile."

Sakumo laughed and said, "Wasn't aiming for you genius." And he began to do hand seals.

The Ice ninja heard a crack behind him and turned to see the wind blow oil onto him. The kunai had cracked the bottle on its way back down to the ground. The Ice ninja wiped the oil from his goggles and turned to see Sakumo pulling down his mask. The Ice ninja jumped to the side of the cart with all his might and flew into the air.

"Should've stayed on the cart; you would've lived longer. Kouton: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sakumo said as the fireball erupted from his mouth.

The Ice ninja screamed in agony as the fireball hit him. His body burst into flames and he began to flail as he fell. He landed in the snow and rolled around. As soon as the fire was out he stood up only to be knocked down by a lunging Sakumo. The Ice ninja and Sakumo rolled around punching and kicking each other. Finally the Ice ninja grabbed Sakumo by the neck and tossed him away.

"Stupid runt!" he screamed, "Thought you could beat me! What do you have to say to that, huh!?"

"Sakumo landed a few yards away and simply yelled, "Boom!"

The ice ninja heard a hissing sound and he looked down to see a bomb tag on his jacket. He scrambled to take it off but it was too late. There was a loud BOOM and the night was lit up as the Ice ninja exploded.

Renji saw Sakumo go after the Ice ninjas on the cargo sled so he had launched himself into the trees to deal with the eight other ninjas. Renji jumped around tree branches as ninjas jumped him. He threw a quick series of kicks and punches as he jumped around knocking each ninja down. As he hit them they each turned into ice and shattered.

"Great…ice clones." Renji said as he landed on a branch.

He turned and saw a ninja about six feet tall leaning on a tree. He wore a black and white snowsuit with flames on the bottom of his pants. He wore black goggles on his forehead and he had yellow eyes that seemed to glitter like flames. The ninja wore black glove with a red and yellow yin yang symbol on them. He had long spikey blond hair that went down to his neck and a little over his goggles.

"You're a quick little rodent." He said simply with a soft yet deep voice.

"Yea, I'm pretty fast." Renji said with a smirk.

"Yeah it's too bad…" the Ice ninja said and suddenly he disappeared. He reappeared behind Renji, "That you don't know what real speed is."

Renji felt the Ice ninjas boot hit him in the back and he was sent flying into another tree. Renji flailed around until he landed on a tree branch that knocked the wind out of him.

"Okay…that kinda hurt." Renji said in pain.

"Time to die little rat." Said the Ice ninja as his eyes glowed and his hand lit up, "Kouton: Blue Flame Jutsu."

Suddenly a blue flame appeared in the Ice ninjas hand. He looked at Renji and threw the ball of blue flame at him. Renji jumped away to another tree and the fire hit where he previously was. The blue flame hit and spread crazily on the tree and a few flames landed on other trees setting them ablaze. Renji hopped around trying not to be burned by the flames when the Ice ninja appeared behind him and punched him in the face sending him towards the flaming trees. Renji disappeared into the blue flames and the Ice ninja jumped in after him. The blue flames encircled him but did not burn him. The Ice ninja looked around for Renji until he spotted him on a tree branch dodging the blue flames. The Ice ninja lunged at him and swung his fist at Renji's face. The Ice ninja's fist caught only blue fire. He toppled over and fell a few feet before landing on another branch below the fire. He glanced up and saw only the dancing flames.

"Where are you?" the Ice ninja snarled.

Suddenly the tree branches wrapped themselves around the Ice ninja. Wrapping around him and squeezing him. The Ice ninja grunted and tried to break free but the more he struggled the tighter the branches held him.

"Douton: Branch Trap Jutsu." Said Renji. He was on a branch across from where the Ice ninja was trapped. The ninja glared at Renji.

"Dancing Flame Jutsu!" he growled. Flames came from his hands and burned the branches. The tree branches turned into dirt and fell apart. Renji couldn't control wood but he could make mud and dirt into a tree like substance. Renji stood in shock as his jutsu fell apart. The Ice ninja landed on a tree branch blue flames in his hands. He smiled and yelled, "Blue Blaze Jutsu!" and the trees burst into blue flames.

Renji jumped down and landed on the small patch of frozen dirt he had managed to hit after the blue flame had hit the ground. Blue flame began to hit the ground melting the snow and ice everywhere it hit. The Ice ninja began to jump from tree to tree shooting blue fire attacks at Renji. Renji had an idea and began to run around dodging the attacks as he circled around the Ice ninja.

"Don't deny the inevitable rodent! It's time to die!" the Ice ninja shouted.

"Nope." Renji said, "It's time to put out the fire."

Renji slid to a stop and jumped back dodging a few more fire attacks. He slammed his palms onto the now moist non snow covered dirt and shouted, "Douton: Stalagmite Crusher Jutsu!"

Large rocky spikes shot out of the moist ground and stabbed the Ice ninja. More spikes shot at him until the Ice ninja's body was no longer visible. The blue flames suddenly flickered and then disappeared. The Jutsu was dispelled with the death of the Ice ninja. Renji fell back and rested against a tree breathing hard.

"That (-pant-) sucked." Renji said

Neji saw Sakumo and Renji jump after the other ninjas and notice they were mainly ice clones. Deciding his students were safe he jumped up to the mountain path to meet the Ice ninja who had fired the initial fireball.

"Hello, Neji of Konoha." Said the Ice ninja.

"Who are you?" Neji demanded.

The Ice ninja chuckled, "My name is Itsuki. I am here to destroy the supplies you are sending to my village."

"Why would you destroy supplies for your own village?" Minato shouted running up along side Neji. Neji put a hand up to stop Minato, who obediently stopped in his tracks.

Itsuki smiled, "Because they asked for them without permission. I rule that village through force. They asked your lord for trade behind my back. They disobeyed me. If they don't obey me, they must be punished." He answered.

The other two ninjas stood on either side of Itsuki. They both wore white snowsuits with hoods that covered their whole faces except for their blue goggles. The ninja on the left of Itsuki said, "If they don't obey they must be punished."

"The fool who called for the supplies is lucky we didn't kill him like the last fool who asked for help." Said the ninja to Itsuki's right.

"Murderer!" Minato shouted his temper rising, "How dare you call yourselves leaders! You're nothing but scum!"

Itsuki cocked his head to the side, "Did he just call me scum?" he asked.

"He did indeed my lord." Said the ninja to Itsuki's left.

"And a murderer." Said the ninja to Itsuki's right.

Itsuki smiled and said, "Kill the runt; leave Neji to me."

The two ninjas nodded and jumped into the air. Minato jumped back while whipping out his shuriken. He ran along the mountain path launching the shuriken at the two ninja who were running on the mountain side. They easily avoided them and jumped off the mountain side at Minato.

"Minato!" Neji yelled and he moved toward his student but was cut off by Itsuki.

"You're not going anywhere Hyuga Neji. Your opponent is me." He said as he pulled out a bow staff and began swinging at Neji. Neji hopped backward dodging the attacks of Itsuki. Using his Byakugan he checked on Renji and Sakumo. Both his students were resting, their enemies were dead. Both of them were out of breath but only had minor wounds. Neji could not see Minato but prayed he could beat Itsuki before Minato was seriously injured.

Minato dove and rolled away trying to avoid the icicles that were being thrown at him. He stood up and threw shuriken at the ninja on the mountain side.

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Minato cried and his shuriken multiplied and flew at the ice ninja. The ice ninja dove out of the way rolling down the mountain. Minato reached for his weapon pouch when he had a small mental image of one of the ice ninja behind him. Minato spun and caught the ice ninja's fist. The Ice ninja looked shocked. Minato took this opportunity and fell backwards pulling the ice ninja with him. He put his left leg up, the Ice ninja's body fell on Minato's leg and Minato using his falling momentum launched the Ice ninja towards his partner. The two ice ninja fell onto a heap on the ground. Minato jumped up and ran up the mountain wall. He put chakra onto his feet and ran up with ease. Naruto had shown Minato the tree climbing technique years ago so Minato was able to do this quite easily.

The two Ice ninja ran after Minato forming hand signs as they went. As Minato ran spikes began to shoot out in front of him. Minato tried to dodge them but a spike shot out underneath his foot and threw him off balance. Minato slid down towards the Ice ninja. Minato planted his foot and pushed off flying into the air away from the mountain. The two Ice ninja turned and looked at Minato. Minato didn't know what to do.

"Guess this is the perfect time to test it out." Minato said.

Minato concentrated a large amount of chakra into his right hand. He held his right wrist with his left hand. He extended his thumb up and his index finger out while curling his other fingers making his right hand into a make believe gun. He concentrated the chakra into his extended index finger. Suddenly a spark ignited from his index finger and began to flicker and spin around until a small yellow ball appeared on the tip of his index finger. A low humming noise was heard as Minato pointed his hand/gun at the two ninja on the mountain. Here goes everything Minato though.

"Raiton Gun!" Minato shouted and his arm jerked back as if he fired a gun and the tiny ball shot at the two Ice ninja.

The two ninja jumped to the side and saw the tiny ball come closer to them. One ninja laughed and said, "What's that little ball gonna do…" as the tiny blast hit the mountain. Suddenly there was an explosion where the little yellow ball had hit the mountain. The two Ice ninjas screamed in pain as they were hit by the explosion. Minato was knocked back by the explosion and fell towards the woods, a smile on his face.

Renji heard the explosion and looked up to see smoke coming from the mountain and pieces of the mountain falling. He also a blonde headed figure falling toward the woods. Renji ran up the closest tree and hopped into the air catching Minato as he fell. Renji landed in trees and but Minato's momentum was too strong and the pair fell to the ground. Renji landed on his feet but then crumpled softly to the ground. He looked back up at the mountain to see a huge crater in the side of it. Renji looked down at Minato who simply smiled and said, "It worked."

"What did you do!?" Renji asked. Minato just smiled and passed out.

"What was that!?" Renji heard Sakumo yell. Renji turned and saw Sakumo run towards him and Minato. Sakumo knelt down by the pair and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know." Renji said as he looked from the mountain to Minato.

Neji felt the vibration of the mountain before he saw the explosion. Itsuki turned and looked in the direction of the explosion. _Minato!_ Neji thought desperately. He tried to run towards the explosion but Itsuki leaped in front of him.

"No way you're getting past me, Hyuga." Itsuki said his bow striking out at Neji.

"I've had enough of you." Neji said as he chopped Itsuki's bow in half with his hand. "Eight trigram 16 palm!" Neji struck Itsuki without warning and without mercy. The look on his face was that of utter confusion. Itsuki tried to move but couldn't.

"Hyuga! You vermin!" Itsuki cried, "You should all be extinguished; especially that female leader of yours!"

Neji snapped and turned back and jabbed Itsuki in the neck instantly killing him. Itsuki's eyes were wide open in shock as his body fell and tumbled off the mountain path. Neji turned and sprinted toward the other side of the mountain. Neji arrived at the crater within seconds and saw the two charred bodies of Itsuki's henchmen. He searched the area for his students and found them at the caravans. Neji sprinted there to see the drivers of the sleds and the dogs were unharmed. Sakumo and Renji had put Minato on one of the sled seats after attending to his wounds. They camped there for the night. When Minato woke up he was completely fine minus a few bumps and bruises.

"What attack did you use Minato?" Renji asked.

"It was my Raiton Gun. That jutsu I've been trying to develop for the past couple months." Minato replied, "I think I used too much chakra."

Sakumo, Renji, and Minato laughed. Neji turned to Minato and said seriously, "You shouldn't use that attack. Compressing chakra is dangerous. If you use too much it could backfire and you could kill yourself."

Minato looked at Neji and smiled, "I know, but I know my limits. I'll be okay. But I promise to only use the Raiton Gun as a last resort." He said.

Neji nodded and Minato smiled. _He's exactly like his father. _Neji thought. _That could be dangerous. _

They arrived at the village the next day with the supplies and told the villagers about Itsuki's death. The village leader told Neji about Itsuki and how he had made himself ruler of the land and had made the villagers give him all that they had to pay for his protection of the village. In the end Itsuki had controlled the village through fear and had made the villagers lives terrible. After learning about Itsuki's death the village celebrated the return of their old ways. The village leader told Neji he would recreate the village's army and keep trade open with Konoha. The village leader thanked Neji for everything and paid for Konoha's services.

It took two weeks to return to Konoha but when they returned all of Team seven was glad to be back home where it was warm. Neji explained everything to Naruto who then changed the mission from a C Rank Mission to an A Rank Mission. That night Team seven celebrated a mission well done at Ichiraku Ramen.

Elsewhere…Kotaku crushed the piece of steel in his hand. He was much stronger than he was a few months ago. His bandages were off and his hair had started to grow back. He looked at the four other sound ninjas as the trained. Each of them was strong; destroying the area around them with the simplest of ease. Kotaku picked up the small steel ball that had the bristles of a broom on it. He had med it to look like Uzumaki Naruto. Kotaku grinded the steel ball into dust and laughed at the thought of doing the same thing to the real Uzumaki Naruto.

"Soon, Uzumaki Naruto. Very soon I shall crush you and your precious Konoha." Kotaku said menacingly. He then began to laugh a sickly laugh that rang throughout the night sky.


End file.
